Pele's Randomness

[Pele Alarion]

@Mxyzptlk I think the bears are grown from close friendships!

Finally a few pics! From a rocky beach of the Riga Gulf, a sunset and a small river through the branches...

[Drifa]

Very nice, Pele! Tiny pussy-willow buds on the tree look so soft, and the scenery where you live is so inviting. Cool shots!

[Pele Alarion]

@Drifa Suppose it is difficult to get tired of the nature. So... more pics, mostly flowers, including 'my forest daffodils'. Last year found a lonely bloom in the middle of forest; this year went looking for it - and now there are two!

[Drifa]

Never get tired of nature!! The sky and water photo is lovely! Wild daffodils. They multiple quickly I have read. I can see another patch in the background of your image. You may have a whole field soon.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Pele!

[Yávië]

*peeks in* Hi Pele!

Look at that little (bumble?) bee you got! Do you know what the blue and purple flowers are in the first photo? (If they're something obvious forgive me, I am spectacularly bad at plants!) And I won't go back and comment on everything but I love that last photo on Page 2 with the sun bursting through the trees and the reflection. Happy running/rogaining!

[Pele Alarion]

@Drifa Yup, there might as well be!

@Yávië Hmm. I'm not really sure what they are called.

Here's a pic from my last orienteering... I had to go along that firebreak (the 'clear' looking line between trees), but go figure - more like an obstacle course. The whole forest was like that really.

[Drifa]

Those flowers, I believe, are in the genus family of Scilla. Not sure what the flower's name is. Pretty little spring flowers.

Wow, Pele, that is like an obstacle course. Is the clearing cleared occasionally, seeing as how it's the firebreak?? Or does it matter? And how were the flies during your orienteering? It looks like fun!

[Pele Alarion]

Yes, looks like those flowers! Apparently 'zilsniedzītes' or blue snow in Latvian.

I guess perhaps they clear those occasionally, but often there's long grass, fallen trees, marshes and what not along it, but they make for good orienteering markers because they are visible (usually) and straight, and sometimes can be used instead of trails.

[Lail]

Oh what lovely flowers and trees!! I love the crocuses (I think?) and the bee.

[Pele Alarion]

I've been out and about adventuring again.
Ran 15 km last Saturday - half-way into the lake (well, not on actual water):



And also there were horses, doesn't matter that they were wooden...



And finished May with orienteering in the other end of my town: controls do not have to be in bush only (there certainly were, in a very thick marshy bushy long-grassy place with lots of ticks).

There was a control with a fine view of the sea:



And a control near the ruins of some military building. Did not peek any further into the doorway though:



Once done orienteering, I wandered back to the sea and the fortifications before heading for the bus and home.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: Nice photos you posted. Hehe ruins they are always cool to visit and let your imagination go. Run of 15km, that is a tough distance. Great you're keeping up! Thanks for sharing.

[Pele Alarion]

Well... More running and more nature! This time 14 km - half along the trails on dunes; back along the beach. The tree line in the last photo is where the trails are.

[Drifa]

Lovely photos of your home, Pele! Land and sea! Fantastic!

[Pele Alarion]

There, Drifa, more pics. Damaged my car, but still a plenty of beautiful sights, even when car-less.

Some of the town, Talsi, where I stayed with my friend and walked, and ran a trail race. There's a lake just across the street and down the slope from her house.





And the other lake of the same town:



Also, visited Kuldīga on the way home, and enjoyed the sight of the widest waterfall in Europe (yes indeed!).







And one of those beautiful sunrises at home!

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: lovely are these latest photos you took! I don't know where the waterfall can be found? But what I see is a fountain in the lake. The weeds are flowering richly also. The hedges, the street patterns and white houses do remind me at old streets in Denmark. Style is quite the same. I see you still enjoy long trails to take!

[Pele Alarion]

@Aikári Salmarinian It is the widest waterfall, not the highest. It is low, but reaches across the whole river.

Also, a couple pics with small ponds in Talsi. Ducks must be so used to people that they did not really mind me walking up to them.

[Drifa]

Ducks are pretty social, I have discovered. Nice photos! Many lakes and greenery. And look at the sidewalks!!! Such detail. Are they constructed that way all over the town, or just in certain places? Very nice.

[Pele Alarion]

@Drifa Such sidewalks are in many places. In some towns even streets are laid with this type of pavement.

Caught a dragonfly relaxing on my clothesline...

[Saranna]

Beautiful dragonfly portrait @Pele Alarion

[Drifa]

Those are great shots of the dragonfly, Pele. Nice close-up. It is so interesting seeing the veins in the wings.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

You've got some beautiful photos here Pele! Thanks for sharing. I love the ones of the duck park.

[Pele Alarion]

Ah, it has been a while again... No more dragonflies.

I did get a lovely sunrise pic.



Also got myself a spotting scope and learning to take pics with it and my phone. Rather difficult.

Attempt #1 Quite foggy.



Attempt #2

[Pele Alarion]

A few nature pics from walks/running, and from my window:

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: O_O snow over there? Whoosh, you're the lucky one. I haven't seen a snowflake yet. Plenty of duckies in the pond, a red sky, a beach and yeah musquitos are part of the season too. I haven't seen much of them this year either. Nicep pictures you posted. I haven't visited for a few months. Still nice to catch up how the seasons change with you.

[Pele Alarion]

I've been intentionally looking out for the sun lately...

A sunrise over the lake (just out my window and don't have to go anywhere to see it):



And a sunset (this one I caught yesterday while out running, couldn't resist trying to capture the beauty):

[Drifa]

The birds and the winter photos are dope. But the last two, with the sunrise and the sunset, are super dope!
Just beautiful, Pele! Lucky you to have such a view from your window.

[Pele Alarion]

Soon enough sunrises will be too early to catch.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: Two little for those pictures. They are awesome the sunrise and the sunset. Those are always the nicest hours colourwise in the day, if the clouddeck is broken and the sun shines through. You had the luck to have snow, even the people as faraway as in Morocco, but Holland was devoid of it this winter. Bit of frost, that was all. No fluffy white tapestry. Spring has begun and the trees are flowering.

[Pele Alarion]

Spring has come, so flower pics it is. Played around with a daffodil but pictures turned out grainy because... phone camera. And dark. And indoors.

[Pele Alarion]

Spring is in full bloom, so blossoms have been my focus. At least trying to capture some of the beauty.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: Aye spring has come and summer is upon us. Lovely those white and pinkyellow blossoms. Do you know what kind of plant those are? I am wondering about them. And a fly seeking honey in the dandalion. I got bunches out here also. Sorry for not posting earlier, it has been crazy with my dad's funeral late april.

[Pele Alarion]

Those are tulips, Aiks. Beautiful, aren't they?

Now, more flowers incoming.

[Pele Alarion]

One more flower... wild rose.



A forest trail perfectly suitable for running



And saw this fox when I was driving home. It must have stolen food from somewhere... It dropped whatever it had to give me that look. If a fox would speak it'd go something like this: "What are you looking at? I won't share my dinner. Keep driving."

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: Aye surely they are really nice to see. Photos are good memories, when they are flowered out. The roses are up to now at the bushes. I got two of them in the background, both shades are not as deep pink as yours, but the shades are still different. A tranquil forestpath invites you to walk on and awesome you saw a fox up and close with the meal. For the bees this is a busy time. Thanks for sharing!

[Drifa]

It seems like all work and no play for this dwarf. It has taken me forever to comment, Pele. Such is life when working, eh?

I am a great fan of the close-up photos of all the inside flowers. The stamen is the little legs with feet that we see sticking up from the ovary. Very pretty! Sometimes, I like the inside of the flower better than the outside. Nice capture of the little bee. And look at that sly fox. Doesn't it look suspicious, eh?

Thanks for sharing your photos once again.

[Pele Alarion]

Aiks, Drifa!

No more foxes this time, but still flowers. And bees. And butterflies.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: Oohh some flowers and bees. They are lovely. That purple flower is pretty busy spot. And a nice colouring between the pink flower and the lightblue butterfly, it reminds me a bit of comtemplating colours in lace. The colours (not the butterfly or the flower) would make a pretty Hobbit girl dress I imagine. And all those tiny white flowers, the bee got a lot of visiting to do for hours.

[Pele Alarion]

Heh... It is what it is. Suppose, more plants, without bees and butterflies.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: Oooohhh some new piccies . What can I add? What the last sprouts are I don't know, but the lovely orange and purple flowers are coming in nicely in the shots. Always an insect that visits them. You had a good walk while you took them? I imagine you had. Thanks for sharing!

[Pele Alarion]

Aiks, I think the last pic's are some sort of fungi. I doubt I'd ever get tired of taking photos of nature.

[Drifa]

You inspire me, Pele, reminding me of nature. I always seem to be looking at sidewalks and asphalt these days. Thanks for sharing your nature photos.

[Pele Alarion]

Ah, @Drifa , I always feel like I'm suffocating in big cities, not that even our capital compares to any of those HUGE cities. I like having space and at least some nature around me, makes me feel alive.

But no more summer blossom pics.

One of those sunrises out of my window:



And tried to frame in the view of the lake with fir branches...



Also, these are the things I am looking for when I go orienteering & rogaining. This one was hidden in the midst of thick bush.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Pele: That dusk is an awesome setting, a dreamy time of the day. Is that a airflyer laying in the bushes? Cool pictures.

[Pele Alarion]

No, Aiks, that is a orienteering control with an electronic device to check in (the blue thingy with 37 on it). Not easily spotted even with the bright colours...

The winter has come, it is snowy, but I still have some autumn pics.

The cat at the YWAM base, his name is Fernando. A very talkative cat. And no, I was not sitting on the roof. Hahaha

And a photo shoot for apples.

[Drifa]

Cat on a hot tin roof! Did you eat the apples?

[Pele Alarion]

I didn't eat them, somehow thought they might be rather sour.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Hello Pele, ah I see, thanks for enlightening about that, I hadn't noticed it. Cute Birman cat, they are very kind of nature and talkative. I knew a pair of cats in the past and were just as you meet Fernando. Look nice yummy apples to me. They might have fresh sour taste, could go well with a sweet salade, to balance out the taste.

[Pele Alarion]

Those apples might be half-wild, so wasn't sure. Hehe...

Either way, a few more autumn pics:

[Drifa]

Merry Christmas, Pele!
Oh, mushrooms, fungi on old stump and leaves! You are a Chief Counsellor of Gondor who is after my heart!! Lovely photos! What are you shooting with?

Thanks for sharing!

[Pele Alarion]

Merry Christmas, @Drifa !

I was inspired by your photos, and tried to take a different look at things. Using only my phone which is the only tool at hand most times, and I don't have a proper camera.